Franco's remains to finally leave Spain's Valley of the Fallen

Spain’s socialist government is finally to fulfil one of its key promises when the remains of General Franco are exhumed from the austere splendour of the Valley of the Fallen and transferred to his family mausoleum outside Madrid.

If all goes to plan, the 1.5-tonne slab that has covered the dictator’s tomb will be lifted at 10.30am on Thursday and the coffin removed and flown by helicopter or taken by road to Mingorrubio-El Pardo municipal cemetery.

Franco’s remains have had pride of place in the basilica, which is 40 miles (64km) north-west of Madrid, since his death in 1975.

Although the Valley of the Fallen and its 150-metre (490ft) cross ostensibly commemorate all those killed in the Spanish civil war, for many people, it serves only to glorify Franco and his four-decade dictatorship.

The government said the dictator’s remains needed to be moved as they could no longer “remain in a public mausoleum that exalts his figure”, adding that the removal would “symbolically close the circle of Spanish democracy”.

The move has been bitterly opposed by the Franco family, the foundation that bears his name, and the Benedictine abbot who presides over the basilica.

But after months of appeals and legal arguments, Spain’s supreme court gave permission for the exhumation at the end of September.

On Thursday morning, 22 members of the Franco family will gather in the basilica, along with Spain’s justice minister, Dolores Delgado, in her role as first notary of the kingdom.

A canopy has been erected to cover the grave and guard against any attempts to film the exhumation. Those present will be checked for electronic devices to make sure there are no images or sound recordings of the